Three music faculty members traveled to Shanghai to perform and give master classes at the Third Annual Baroque Chamber Music Festival, which is hosted by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The trip was just the latest effort in an ongoing relationship with the Chinese cultural institution.

After a year of tours, reunions, and a national symposium on the future of the arts, Interlochen visual artists capped off the Academy's 50th anniversary festivities with an eventful trip to New York City. Visual arts students have made previous trips to New York City but this trip gave the group a rare chance to show their work to new audiences.

This fall, the theatre department marked the 50th anniversary of the Arts Academy with an ambitious collaboration with Hunter Bell and Jeff Bowen, the creators of "[title of show]," one of the most popular musicals of the last decade. In November of 2012, Interlochen actors concluded this creative partnership with four performances in New York City.

In this continuing series of articles about the future of Interlochen programs, we hear from singer-songwriter instructor and Interlochen alumna, Courtney Kaiser-Sandler, who is the leading the Academy's newest major.

The Fifth Future of Cinema Film Festival was held on the Interlochen campus November 1-3 and attracted student film submissions from as far away as New Zealand, Turkey, Romania and Beijing. The festival gives young filmmakers a rare chance to screen the creative efforts of their peers and interact with and learn from leading filmmakers.

Filmmaker Chad Engel was among the first graduates from the motion picture arts program. Just three years after graduating from the Arts Academy, he has written and directed an ambitious short film and has his eyes set on a full-length feature.

After a year of tours, reunions and a national symposium on the future of the arts, the Academy’s 50th Anniversary celebrations are nearing their conclusion – but not before one last tour, featuring theatre and visual arts students.